Down the Rabbit Hole
by fems
Summary: A malfunctioning quantum mirror causes an explosion and catches Major Samantha Carter unaware. When she comes to she discovers she has not only ended up on the wrong side of the mirror, but also the law! Forced to live as her counterpart, she tries to find a way home. Can she trust her CO's alternate or does he have a plan of his own?
1. Intro

**Title: **Down the Rabbit Hole  
**Category: **Alternate Reality, Adventure, Romance  
**Season:** 3 (set between _Learning Curve _and _Point of View_)  
**Spoilers**: _There But for the Grace of God_ (1x20); _Touchstone _(2x14); _Fair Game _(3x03); _Legacy _(3x04); _Learning Curve_(3x05)

**Pairing:** S/J  
**Summary: **A malfunctioning quantum mirror causes an explosion and catches Major Samantha Carter unaware. When she comes to she discovers she has not only ended up on the wrong side of the mirror, but also the law! Forced to live as her counterpart, she tries to find a way home. Can she trust her CO's alternate or does he have a plan of his own?

**Rating:** M  
**Warnings:** language, sex

**Disclaimer:** see profile  
**A/N: **I don't have a beta, so any mistakes are my own. I always appreciate feedback and/or constructive criticism or just a comment to let me know why you (don't) like it.

* * *

**Briefing Room  
Level 27, SGC  
July, 1999**

It was quiet in the briefing room, the only sound being the rustling of paper as General Hammond double-checked the forms in front of him to sign off on the transfer. Colonel O'Neill was looking a bit impatient – and bored, too – as he rocked on his feet and let his gaze wander around the room. Sam herself was patiently waiting for the General to finish, knowing it would only cause more trouble for her if something was overlooked and she really wasn't looking forward to being turned away from Area 51 over a typo or missing signature.

"So Carter, are you sure you don't need an escort?" Colonel O'Neill questioned with a hopeful smile.

Before she could answer General Hammond looked up sharply. "Major Carter will be accompanying our regular transport, which already has its own SFs, Colonel. Besides, you still have some paperwork to finish if I'm not mistaken."

"Right," the Colonel said, wincing. "But if Carter really needs my help-"

"I think she'll be fine, son," he replied dryly.

Sam shot her commanding officer an apologetic look and shrugged. It wasn't like she could come up with a valid reason for him to accompany her. "You would probably get bored anyway, Sir."

Colonel O'Neill shuffled closer to her, leaning down as if telling her something confidential while the General scribbled his signature and turned another page. "But I'm _already_ bored, Major. It's so damn quiet and with Daniel and Teal'c still on Orban you were the only one I could bug during my breaks… now there'll be no one left," he whined softly.

"I'm sorry to hear that," she replied in a low tone.

"Yet you're smiling."

She shook her head as she pursed her lips together. "No, Sir… well, not really, anyway. It's just… I'm still getting used to being called major."

"Ah," the Colonel remarked, grinning.

Sam returned the grin, still feeling almost inanely proud at her recent promotion considering the work she did on a daily basis and the fact that she'd helped save the planet. In light of that a promotion to major really wasn't that big of a deal but to her it was, especially under the command of Colonel O'Neill and General Hammond as it meant they thought she was doing a good job. "But seriously, Sir," she continued, "you'd be bored out of your mind within an hour of arriving at Area 51."

"Because you'll be doing your geek thing?" He asked with raised eyebrows.

Suppressing an eye roll she nodded slowly. "Yes, that's exactly what I'll be doing."

"I think Major Carter is perfectly capable of doing this on her own," General Hammond said as collected the papers in front of him and bundled them into a folder. "I've heard the scientists at Area 51 were looking forward to her visit and the alien technology that she'll be bringing with her."

"But that's just it, Sir," Colonel O'Neill objected, "what if her groupies get out of control when they're geeking out? Or maybe those Goa'uld killer thingies escape and everyone at Groom Lake goes nuts? I could help since I'm immune now," he added, boasting.

His desperate pleas to get out of finishing up his mission reports made Sam snort and suddenly she found two pairs of eyes looking at her. "Um," she cleared her throat awkwardly, "I'm sure no one is going to attack me, Sir. And to be completely honest with you I don't think you're still immune; that was probably only temporarily after I gave you the injection with my protein marker and it should be out of your system right now."

"Well… that sucks. What if we run into one of Machiavelli's devices again?"

"Then you're lucky you have Major Carter on your team to get your six home and well again, Colonel," Hammond said.

Sam smiled at the General and took the folder with paperwork from him when he handed it over. "The two page turning devices we have in our possession don't contain any Goa'uld killers anymore between the Linvris, SG-1 and Doctor Fraiser, Sir. Other SG teams have already visited P3W-924 a while ago to retrieve _Ma'chello's_ other inventions and they were very careful in doing so."

"Most of his devices haven't been studied at Area 51 yet and any research into his inventions has been halted since your encounter with the PTDs, which is another one of the reasons I'm sending Major Carter to Groom Lake, Jack."

Colonel O'Neill frowned and looked between them. "To have her work on them? I thought Carter would only be gone for a day, tops!"

"To donate some blood, Sir," she clarified. "In case something happens and they need my protein marker in large amounts."

"Technobabble _and_ needles?" He asked warily.

General Hammond chuckled softly and clasped his shoulder. "Are you still insistent on joining Major Carter, son?"

Shrugging, Sam reached over the briefing table to retrieve the cardboard tube containing copies of the blueprints for the naquadah generator. "I don't mind the needles, Sir. But the rest of my visit will probably consist of helping store Ma'chello's inventions and explain them as best I can, as well as going over the schematics Merrin drew for me."

"Oh, of that naquadah generator thingy? You're not taking that with you, are you?" The Colonel asked, looking from her to the General, as if asking for confirmation. "I mean, we're keeping that, right?"

"The actual generator and blueprints will remain here, so we can study them further and hopefully create more once we have more materials," she replied and then held up the tube. "However, Area 51 wants a chance to study it as well, so they're getting a copy of the schematics."

"Ah, okay."

General Hammond narrowed his eyes at his 2IC and briefly shook his head. "Well, as long as it meets your approval, Colonel," he said dryly. "Now, if that was all, I think Major Carter has to collect her things and go topside to meet the SFs that will accompany the transport and you still have some mission reports to finish."

"Yes Sir," Sam nodded. "Colonel."

"Fine," Colonel O'Neill muttered. "Be careful with those geeks, Carter. And don't overdo the technobabble thing; by the time you get back the boys will have returned from Orban and we can go back on the mission roster."

"Dismissed, Major," the General said with a smile after the Colonel had stopped rambling.

Smiling, she gave her CO a nod of acknowledgment to let him know she'd heard him and then she turned on her heels and headed for the doorway. If she was honest, she was actually kind of looking forward to a visit to Area 51. After her meeting with Merrin she had gotten back into scientist mode and she was still very excited about the naquadah generator she had managed to create after adapting the alien girl's design to the materials the SGC had. Earth's very first naquadah generator and she, Samantha Carter, had created it!

* * *

**Storage Facility  
Area 51, Nevada**

The transport had gone well and Sam had arrived earlier at the facility than she'd expected. Just like the last time she'd been here with SG-1 the personnel – minus Colonel Maybourne, who'd been transferred after 'losing' the second Stargate – had been welcoming and it turned out General Hammond had not been exaggerating when he said people had been looking forward to her visit. Lieutenant Colonel Reynolds had been very amiable and had once again appointed himself as her escort, showing her around and updating her on the research that was being done here at Area 51 after they had congratulated each other on their respective promotions.

He was nice and easy going – not unlike Colonel O'Neill when he wanted to be – and seemed very interested in her opinion and expertise, not afraid to ask for her input as he showed her around the labs. She in turn tried to give him as much relevant information as possible and even shared some of the stories about how SG-1 and other SG teams had acquired specific technology they were studying. They'd had lunch together after the initial tour and he'd given some of his men instructions to unload the regular alien tech that had been transported to Area 51 on schedule while they ate.

When they'd finished their meals he had escorted her to the department that wanted the blueprints for the naquadah generator and the next couple of hours they had gone over them as she tried to explain them and her own adjustments as best she could. Just as a headache had started to form from the scientists' incessant questions the Lieutenant Colonel had stepped in to take her away, saying the interview was over and that the staff was on their own now since she had to donate some blood and put away Ma'chello's inventions, including the page turning devices.

She had been grateful for his interference, not just because of her oncoming headache but also because she'd lost track of time – something that wasn't unusual for her when she was in scientist mode – and was hoping to finish up here in time to catch a flight back to Colorado Springs tonight and be home at a decent hour. Reynolds apparently understood and stayed with her as she donated a couple of vials of blood, in the meantime making small talk. It turned out he actually had a background in engineering but had also done some fieldwork in the past, before transferring to the research and development facility.

Now they were about to put away the last technology she had brought with her, the PTDs and tablets stored in separate containers but were waiting for someone to turn off the security system in the storage room. He had already used his security pass to give them access to the room and they'd entered it but the laser beam, motion sensors and whatnot in the large space before them were still activated while they waited near the door opening.

"Shouldn't be too much longer now," Reynolds said with a glance at his watch.

"Well, it's good to know adequate security measures have been taken considering all the things that are stored here."

He nodded in affirmation, making a vague hand gesture at their surroundings. "Yes, no one is just going to come in here… that is, if they even know where to look for all these things. No one actually expects there to be alien technology here, except for the conspiracy nuts and even they think it's mostly stuff from Roswell or other 'covered up' alien crashes."

Sam smiled, thinking how right he was. The whole Stargate Program was just too fantastical – and she was part of it! "Primitive and advanced alien technology, wormholes to other planets, humans taken from Earth populating the galaxy…"

"It's amazing," Reynolds said with a soft chuckle.

"Indeed it is." Canting her head she looked at him curiously, wondering if maybe he wanted to see it for himself. "You know, you could be part of it. More than you are here, I mean. We can always use good officers and your scientific background would be a definite advantage, Colonel."

For a moment he looked surprised and then quickly waved it away. "Nah, I'm probably too old…"

"I know you must have had your reasons to transfer out of the field and get a more secure and scientific posting here but if you're interested you should know that General Hammond has just gotten the green light to form three more off-world teams and he was told to start recruiting and training even more for next year, as the higher-ups are thinking of adding about a handful of teams per year with the way things are going now," Sam replied as she leaned closer. "And you're about the same age as most experienced team leaders, if not younger."

A slow smile appeared on Reynolds' face and he was just about to say something when the security system deactivated. "Ah well, looks like that's my sign. I'll leave you to it; just make sure to store the devices in the right spot. We've already entered them into the computer system," he said, consulting a small scanner he had in his hand and using it on the cases, "and they're supposed to go under the M, for Ma'chello. The names and details you provided in your forms have been added to our database so they only need to be put away and secured. If you don't need my help I'll be out in the corridor to call my superiors and see if they need you for anything else today."

"That's okay, I think I can find my way around here," Sam said, recalling the system from the reports she'd read and her visit from almost a year ago.

"Very well, Major," he replied, heading for the door before stopping himself and turning around to face her. "And I'll think about what you said."

She smiled and nodded in understanding. It had to be quite tempting for him to apply for a transfer to the SGC after hearing all the stories and seeing the results of many off-world missions here but he must have had his reasons to get out of the field too. Making changes like these at his age needed some serious contemplation and there was also a chance the man had a family here, so it wasn't as simple to move to Colorado Springs and put your life in danger on a daily basis for him as it would be for someone younger and unattached, like her. "That's all I'm asking, Sir."

With a sloppy salute he was off and Sam was alone in the storage room. The walls were covered with floor to ceiling storage racks and slightly shorter ones were placed throughout the center of the room, creating different rows and it reminded her of movie scenes from FBI or police archives, except those shelves were usually stored with boxes and files while these had pieces of alien technology – some in cases, others just out in the open without any packaging or covering – on them. Fortunately for her the rows were clearly labeled and the shelves were lined with small electronic screens that supposedly contained the artifact's name and information.

It was almost literally a trip down memory lane for her as she moved through the room, having acquired a lot of the items with SG-1 or done a preliminary on them after another team brought it back. The more teams the SGC had the more missions were done, which increased the likelihood of obtaining some kind of alien technology or at least an artifact with cultural significance and unfortunately for Sam that also meant she didn't get first dibs on anything coming through the 'gate anymore. It was a shame but it simply wasn't doable and she loved her work in the field so she wasn't about to give up on that to be bound to her lab just to have every piece of technology pass her workbench. At least she still heard about the various studies done at the SGC during breaks in the commissary, over email, from her colleagues or during the monthly meetings from the science department.

She briefly wondered if Reynolds felt the same way about studying the various alien devices now that the excitement of actually having proof of intelligent alien life and other technologies was dying down and it was becoming business as usual with the Program being in its third year. Those thoughts left her mind though the minute she found the aisle for 'M' and started hunting down the correct shelves for her PTDs and tablets. The area dedicated to Ma'chello's inventions was surprisingly large – obviously everything except the wallpaper and carpet had been taken from his homeplanet – but the two empty spots for the cases were easy to find. A press of a button confirmed Sam's assumption as the electronic screen showed the tablets and page turning devices went there. She double-checked the information displayed on them, only semi-surprised to see a reference to her and her protein marker listed and placed the two cases in the correct places before securing them – physically and electronically by registering her thumbprint on the display.

Once she was done Sam turned around to retrace her steps, looking around the storage room with a small sense of wonder at the technology and artifacts they had managed to collect since the start of the SGC. Most of the items looked vaguely familiar and others she outright recognized and could name the planet – or its designation – from where it came. Some elicited a brief tingle as their materials interacted with the naquadah in her blood and the ones with large amounts of the alien element caused her blood to zing. Reaching the end of the row she suddenly started feeling queasy and, after placing a hand on her stomach, she looked around for the source and quickly found it; there was a 'huge hunk of rock' as Colonel O'Neill would describe it at the end and from her body's reaction she figured it contained huge amounts of naquadah as well.

Only after she had rounded the corner and object did she recognize it as the mirror from P3R-233 and quickly took a few steps back to create some distance between them, remembering what Daniel had said about it transporting him to an alternate reality in the first year of the Program. Not that many people – including herself, at first – had believed his crazy story in spite of his injury… well, not until his information about a Goa'uld attack on Earth had proven to be correct and SG-1 had disobeyed orders to look into it, thereby ending up on Apophis' mothership and preventing his and Klorel's attack.

The piece of rock seemed completely harmless and the 'mirror' surface was ink black at the moment but Sam was still wary. Daniel had mentioned it suddenly activating, which caused the surface to turn into some sort of window into an alternate reality – not that he'd known that at the time, as the room looked exactly like the one he was in – and while he thought it was most likely some kind of controller he'd picked up that had activated the 'mirror' they had never been able to prove it as he had left the device behind in the alternate reality. Fortunately for him the mirror had still been active by the time he had figured out how to get home but after General Hammond had ordered all the items from P3R-233 to be retrieved the mirror was deactivated and had remained so ever since.

Still, she wasn't going to take any chances and be stupid enough to touch the surface because for all she knew Daniel had been wrong and the 'mirror' had some kind of motion sensor that made it come alive if someone stood in front of it, or perhaps it activated on touch. That, however, didn't mean she wasn't fascinated by this piece of technology and what the existence of alternate realities meant for the laws of physics. Einstein had predicted the concept of alternate realities a long time ago but to actually have proof and be able to visit a reality other than one's own – it was the stuff dreams were made of for a physicist!

Sam wondered if that was why whoever had created the 'mirror' had, well, created it; to test their theory of multiverses and possibly visit alternate realities to see what could have been? Glancing at her watch she figured she had to get going before Colonel Reynolds would send in the SFs, wondering what was taking her so long. But she made a mental note of asking him if any further studies had been done on this strange mirror or if it was merely collecting dust here, which would be a real shame.

Just as she turned around she saw something from the corner of her eye and whipped her head back, startled to suddenly see the mirror's surface shimmer before an image formed – and it wasn't her reflection. Her breath hitched as she realized she was actually looking at a window into an alternate universe and while she was mesmerized, Sam wasn't foolish enough to move forward and get a closer look. No, instead she took a couple of more steps backwards, recalling Daniel's tale about touching it and being transferred into the other reality, until her back hit the partitioning fence dividing the warehouse into different sections.

"Holy Hannah!" She gasped as she recognized a workbench, some lab equipment and even a laptop in the mirror's image. There didn't appear to be anyone on the other side or at least not in her view but all of a sudden the image flickered and the surface distorted a bit until it restored itself. Daniel had never mentioned anything about that and taking it as an ominous sign Sam started slowly walking along the partition towards the exit. Her gaze never left the mirror, though, and suddenly she saw something even more startling; smoke and sparks at the foot of the mirror but it was clearly taking place on the other reality.

However, before she could react in any way there was an explosion and Sam instinctively turned away and brought up her hands to cover her face, even though it was like bracing yourself for something that happened on TV. Or so she thought until she felt the heat coming through the mirror and the scent of something burning entered her nostrils. There was a bright white light that hurt her already closed eyes, a searing heat and the sound of a fire crackling before she lost consciousness…


	2. Through the Looking Glass

**Laboratory  
Unknown Location**

Sam groaned softly as she came to, her whole body aching and the smell of singed fabric was hanging in the air. Confused as to what had happened she racked her brain until she remembered something… the storage room at Area 51, oh and the mirror! Before she could even engage her mind her instincts kicked in and she quickly rolled to her side and jumped up. The abrupt change in position made her lightheaded for a moment but she quickly regained her equilibrium and looked around, wondering how far the fire from the explosion had spread. Could it have entered through the mirror like a person or inanimate object can?

Much to her surprise she was no longer in the storage room where she had passed out, Sam realized as she looked around; she was in the lab she had seen in the mirror! The fire seemed to have died out and it was only now that she became aware of her damp clothes and hands. A quick glance at the ceiling confirmed that there was indeed a sprinkler system and thus she deduced something – a smoke detector probably – had triggered it, thereby putting out the fire and causing the puddles on the floor, including the one she had woken up in. There were a few blackened areas on the floor, mostly around the mirror… which was very different from the one she had been looking at back at Area 51!

This one had an almost modern look to it and, after circling it from a safe distance, she noticed the back didn't look rocky at all. It still made her blood hum though, so she figured it also contained large amounts of naquadah although she couldn't say if it was identical to the other mirror unless she got her hands on a UTD to take some measurements. The front of the mirror appeared to have been blackened by the explosion as well but Sam was in no way inclined to wipe it clean to get a closer look at its color and possibly deduce what kind of material it was made from if it wasn't the same rock as the one at Area 51. The mirror's surface was ink black just like the device in the storage room before it had come alive and she wondered how she could activate it to get back home…

A quick yet thorough inspection of the lab didn't turn up a remote control like the one Daniel had described and just standing in front of the mirror hadn't done anything either, except draw her attention to the mess on the floor. It looked like electrical wires before they had been burned and it didn't take Sam long to figure out what they were doing there; someone had MacGyvered an activation button for the mirror. Clearly, it had gone wrong considering the fire originated there – probably an overload seeing as how much power would be needed to create a portal into an alternate reality – unless whoever was behind it had intended for it to be a one-way trip…

Wondering if that was the case she made her way over to the laptop she'd come across earlier and turned it on. As she waited for it to boot up she pulled the desk chair out and took a seat. Her mouth turned dry when she noticed the username in the login box on the screen and after taking a deep breath she hazarded a guess for the password. It didn't surprise her when she succeeded at her first attempt, considering it was exactly the same password she used on her own computers…

What did surprise her was what she found on her alternate's account, which was organized exactly the same as her own. There were designs, photographs, analyses, experiments and reports about all kinds of alien technology, some of which looked familiar to her in some degree while others were completely… well, alien, to her in designs as well as possible origin or culture. There was also a program that accessed the base's CCTV, Sam realized. It was pretty clear her counterpart had used a backdoor to access the surveillance and it made her wonder why. A quick glance at the coding confirmed it was written by the other her, the style exactly the same as her own. Another thing that was obvious as she browsed through the video recordings was that this wasn't the SGC, or whatever this reality's SGC was named; the base had a completely different layout and the external camera views showed alien surroundings, which she assumed meant she was on an off-world base of some kind.

There didn't appear to be any footage of the lab she found herself in and a quick inspection of the room didn't reveal any cameras inside either, meaning Sam still had no idea what had happened for her to end up here. Until she knew what was going on and who or what was responsible for her presence here she couldn't ask for help to get back home, not without endangering her own life; if these people weren't familiar with alternate realities despite the mirror in this lab then they might not believe her story and simply think her counterpart had finally lost it or something and she'd end up in a psychiatric institute – it had happened to Daniel only recently and that had been at the SGC, not the far more dangerous rogue NID.

At least it looked like this laboratory belonged to her counterpart alone, which meant Sam should be able to work without getting interrupted by a colleague unless they needed her help – she just hoped no one would need her alternate's assistance. The fact that the sprinkler system had been activated after the explosion and no one had come running since seemed to indicate either no one had noticed what had happened because of the lack of cameras and oversight, or no one simply cared. Either way, she should probably clean up this mess herself and not wait for support staff to check the damage and whatnot.

There was a small counter with sink at the back of the lab, clearly used by her counterpart to clean equipment and wash her hands before and after certain experiments. In one of the cabinets Sam found a floor cloth and she used it to clean the puddles of water off the floor. She had to go back and forth a few times to wring out and rinse it because of the amount of water that had been sprayed around the lab by the sprinkler system but after ten minutes the floor looked dry and clean again. There were also a few boxes with wipes which she used to clean the surfaces of the workbenches, lab tables and computer equipment. The only thing she didn't touch was the strange-looking mirror through which she had entered this reality, just in case…

During her cleaning she had come across a discarded lab coat, belonging to her alternate according to the name – Dr. Carter – embroidered on the breast pocket. The explosion and subsequent fire had left some soot on the white coat and it looked like the flames had licked at the hem as well, which was probably the source of the singed fabric she'd smelled earlier and why the other Samantha Carter had taken it off; lab coats were fire-retardant but that didn't mean they wouldn't burn eventually.

Sam threw the coat over her desk chair and decided to take another, more leisure look around the lab. A lot of the equipment she had in her own two labs at the SGC was present here as well but there were more items here that seemed to indicate her counterpart spent more time on research and development than she did herself. If the nametag on the lab coat was anything to go by the difference was probably explained by the fact that the other her wasn't military and most likely didn't have to divide her time between fieldwork and lab time. She briefly wondered what could have happened in her alternate's life to cause this fork in the road but quickly dismissed the thought and focused on her surroundings.

There were a few smaller adjoining labs with doors presumably leading to someone else's workspace so Sam quickly backed away to prevent running into someone else. Apparently the smaller rooms with fume hoods, laminar flow cabinets and other expensive equipment were shared with other scientists and from the looks of it there were a few ongoing experiments as well. Nothing that looked familiar to her but then she usually examined alien technology, or doohickeys as Colonel O'Neill preferred to call them, rather than focus on biology or chemistry.

After a more thorough inspection of her counterpart's laboratory Sam peeked out into the corridor, relieved to see it was abandoned for the moment and not occupied by SFs or whatever this reality's form of security forces were. The nameplate on the door confirmed this was indeed her alternate's lab and the accompanying number indicated which level it was on, so Sam quickly made her way back to the computer to access the CCTV of the floor she found herself on. It took a while but eventually she managed to find the recording of her counterpart walking through the corridors and entering her lab. The clock on the wall opposite the workbench showed the same time as Sam's watch, meaning it had been almost nine hours since her doppelganger had started her shift. The quality of the CCTV left something to be desired but as far as Sam could tell her grainy-looking counterpart hadn't left since this morning, unless she had used a different exit – like the mirror.

Since there was no footage of the actual experiment with the mirror and Sam was getting impatient as well as a bit anxious over her whole situation, she started tracking her alternate's movements of that morning and the previous day on the recordings. It took longer than she was comfortable with but it turned out she didn't differ that much from the other Samantha Carter when they were both in scientist mode; the other her had gone straight from what Sam assumed to be her base quarters to the commissary and then to the lab in the mornings and repeated the path in reverse last night.

Sam knew she couldn't hide out here all day and that she would probably be safer in 'her' quarters, so she turned off the laptop and grabbed it. Before leaving the lab she remembered the lab coat with the singed hem and after a brief moment of hesitation she slipped it on; it would be in her best interest to blend in until she knew more. Despite her rumbling stomach she didn't stop by the commissary, fearing she might encounter someone who knew her counterpart and discover she herself was an imposter. The trip to the base quarters seemed to take forever and a couple of times she started doubting whether she'd taken the right turn – it had been difficult to pick out 'landmarks' on the grainy footage as she followed her counterpart's path – or gone into the wrong direction until she recognized something from the CCTV.

Everything was going well until she stepped into the elevator and someone followed in behind her. She quickly pushed the button of the floor she needed and glanced at the man from the corner of her eye. He was unfamiliar to her but was dressed in a similar white coat and carrying a stack of papers.

"Doctor," he said amiably, yet somewhat reserved as he pushed another button.

Sam returned his greeting with a nod of her head and a tight smile, wondering what she was supposed to say. Unfortunately he was on her left and she couldn't see if there was a nametag on his coat's breast pocket. "Hi," she murmured.

He looked at her strangely, which only confused her further. "Why are you wearing that military getup?"

"Oh, well, um…" She glanced down at her BDUs, recalling that her counterpart had appeared to be wearing some sort of pantsuit in the CCTV footage. "There was an accident in my lab." Another look in the man's direction made her realize that while he was mildly interested in her explanation, he didn't really care or show any concern for what might have happened. Perhaps they weren't friends but merely colleagues and he'd started the conversation out of politeness and a way to kill time until they could get off the elevator? "One of my experiments yielded, um, some unexpected results… a small explosion," she said cautiously.

"Ah," he said, nodding in understanding as if these sorts of things happened on a daily basis. Perhaps they did.

"There was a small fire," she continued, indicating the singed hem of her lab coat, "and the subsequent water damage ruined my clothes. Someone was kind enough to lend me these instead."

The other scientist frowned as he took in her appearance again and then he let out a small sigh. "Really? Well, I guess that explains why you're leaving your lab early today," he said, gesturing at the elevator buttons to indicate the one she had pushed.

Sam felt a momentary panic at this and silently berated herself for leaving the safety of said lab, when she had already learned from the CCTV footage that her counterpart had worked until late last night. Her own habits weren't that different but she had hoped no one would know this or at least not question her about it, considering she was leaving at a normal hour for once. "Um, yes. I need to go over my designs again and make some adjustments before I can recalibrate the device. My lab really isn't the right place for that after the sprinkler system went off."

"You better fix it," he said quickly, looking around shiftily as if afraid someone would overhear them. "Your lab, I mean. Before, uh, measures are taken… Oh look, this is my stop," he added, changing the subject as the car came to a halt. "Good luck with your experiment, I hope today's happenings haven't halted your progress and you'll be able to finish it in time."

"Wait!" She called out, wanting to know what he'd meant about her lab.

The black-haired man was already out of the car and looked back over his shoulder, shrugging apologetically at her over his glasses. "Sorry, you're not the only one with a deadline. I'd like to complete my own project in time."

And then he was gone, leaving her to stare at the now closed elevator doors. His words sent her brain in overdrive and she couldn't help but wonder what he'd meant. Was it a warning or was it simply a case of some collegial rivalry? By the time the car stopped at her level she still hadn't come up with an answer but decided she should forget about the curious statement as she had bigger things to worry about, like finding a way home before someone discovered she was an imposter.

Sam cautiously stepped out of the elevator and slowly made her way down the corridor, making sure to keep her gaze aimed at the floor as not to attract any unnecessary attention and keep her face hidden from the security cameras as much as possible. The grainy footage of her counterpart hadn't given her a good look at what the other her looked like but there were bound to be differences, just like the version of her Daniel had met in an alternate reality. Like that one, this reality's Samantha Carter appeared to be a civilian doctor as well and it made Sam wonder if they'd cut their hair or not; for years she'd had long hair but after entering the Academy she had cut it off as it was too time-consuming to braid and pin it up according to regulations every morning.

It was something she would have to look into if she could, otherwise people might get suspicious of her appearance. The colleague from the elevator had noticed her BDUs but he hadn't mentioned anything about her hair, although that could be because her counterpart didn't have long hair, or maybe the man hadn't taken note of it – it wasn't like her teammates ever commented on her different hairstyles, after all. Still, she needed to have an explanation in case someone _would_ ask her about it.

Letting out a deep sigh she turned the corner and took the last few steps to her alternate's base quarters. Sam's breath hitched for a moment when she noticed the card reader, wondering how she was supposed to open it before her free hand found a security pass in the pocket of her lab coat. After casting a glance around the deserted corridor she lifted the pass in shaking hands and swiped it through the reader, breathing a sigh of relief when there was the familiar sound of a door unlocking. She quickly slipped into the room and rested her weight against the door after it fell shut behind her.

Her right hand found the light switch a few inches from the door and flipped it on, revealing the sparsely decorated room's interior to her. On her left was a couch, coffee table and a bookcase, and a small table with two fold-up chairs and a cupboard was on her right. Setting her laptop on the table she took off her lab coat, placed it on the back of a fold-up chair and went over to the door in the opposite dark wall, presuming it led to a sleeping area. To her surprise it was a small bathroom with a shower in the far left corner, a hamper and toilet behind the door and a sink across from it, but there was another door to her right and, opening it, she was looking into a small bedroom. It contained a dresser and a double bed and that was about it… there was barely any room to walk, so cramped was the small space.

It was only now that she realized what she thought had been a darkly painted wall was in fact a dark and heavy curtain, separating the living area from the bedroom. Still, considering this base was obviously not built by humans but aliens and then taken over and modified by the humans in this reality, she was impressed by the size of her alternate's living quarters. Then again if the woman had been confined to base she would obviously need something more than just a lab and a small room with a bed. Of course, it was entirely possible this was some sort of scientific outpost and the assignment here was merely temporary. Sam just had a strange feeling about this place, but it was possible that was down to _how_ she had arrived here…

There were plans for such off-world bases in her own reality but so far they had only established the Alpha Site and that was mostly for evacuation purposes in case Earth was attacked. It was nowhere near as complete as her current surroundings. It was possible the people in this reality had different priorities but why would her counterpart be hiding away here unless Earth had been destroyed…? That thought gave her a moment's pause but she quickly decided that was _not_ an option. It also didn't explain why that other scientist had behaved so oddly, she thought to herself.

Later there would be time to figure out what kind of base this was; right now she needed to find out more about her alternate if she was to replace the woman without anyone noticing. Her first idea had been to look into her personal items but there was a small problem with that, seeing as there hardly were any… No trinkets, knick-knacks, baubles or photographs, much unlike Sam's own home where there were plenty of framed pictures in her living room, although there weren't many other 'homey' items lying around there either. Next up was the dresser, where she found mostly pantsuits folded up neatly and it made her wonder why her counterpart hadn't chosen for a standing closet or something similar to prevent rumpling the outfits instead of making ironing a prerequisite. There really were no BDUs or just casual clothes with the exception of a few skirts, one pair of sweatpants and a workout outfit. No sign of boots or comfortable shoes, just two pairs of heels not all that different from the ones belonging to her dress blues and one pair of sneakers, although they didn't appear to have been used much.

No flannel pajamas, warm sweaters or anything comfortable Sam could find in her own closet at home and even the underwear was different! There was a serious shortage of regular socks and far too many panty hoses, knee-high tights and socks – no doubt to match the pantsuits – in her opinion. No standard issue panties, bras or sport bras either; instead there was a bunch of colorful bras, thongs, panties and hipsters, some with lace and others made of some synthetic fibers or cotton. Some of it was similar to what she had in her own closet at home but since she had been in the Air Force for over a decade now her own collection of civilian clothing – and underwear specifically – wasn't as elaborate or colorful as her counterpart's. It was a small comfort that at least it looked like they had the same size in clothing…

Sighing, Sam let the dresser for what it was and pushed the heavy curtain aside to enter the living area. She made her way over to the bookcase and wasn't surprised to see it filled with a collection of her favorite books but unfortunately there wasn't anything really helpful, like a diary or something, around. Not that she had really expected to find anything here.

That only left the laptop, she decided.

The next few hours she spent going over all kinds of files and even found the schematics of what she thought had been used to activate the mirror. It was quite an ingenious design, if she did say so herself. However, it also became clear to Sam that the necessary materials to rebuild it were scarce and most likely not lying around her lab. It would take weeks if not months to collect everything and that estimate was made with her knowledge of how they operated at the SGC and what kind of things they could obtain in which amounts – she had no idea how long it would take in this reality.

She took a small break and was pleasantly surprised when she found some energy bars, cookies, diet sodas – albeit not cooled – and other edible items in the cupboard. After stilling her grumbling stomach she went back to the laptop and took a look at the intranet. Her counterpart had a lot of outgoing status reports and there was only a handful of requests from colleagues for a second opinion from her – which was far less than she was used to at the SGC – but what really surprised her was _who_ received the reports and sent out new assignments; Colonel H. Maybourne.

Her counterpart was working for _Maybourne_?!


	3. Adjusting

**Dr Carter's Lab  
NID Off-world Base  
Milky Way Galaxy**

It had been four days since Sam had come to in the strange laboratory belonging to her counterpart and she wasn't much the wiser. Something she _had_ deduced was that her alternate wasn't only working for Maybourne but that this base was most likely a rogue NID operation! In a way it was comforting to know at least Maybourne hadn't changed in this reality, even if the other her didn't seem to have any ethics and morals, or objections to working for the NID.

Thanks to the CCTV footage her counterpart's laptop could access she had been able to figure out what 'her' normal working hours were supposed to be, so Sam had started the same routine the next day and she hadn't heard of any complains or inquiries into why she had left her lab earlier that first day. Fortunately for her Doctor Carter appeared to be almost anal-retentive when it came to her research notes, meaning there was plenty of information on her past, current and future projects for Sam to pick up where she'd left off. Her double seemed to be even more methodical than she herself was and the thought of her teammates' reactions upon learning this elicited a chuckle from her as they, specifically the Colonel and even Daniel, often thought she was too precise and would tease her about it when they saw her reports.

That thought quickly sobered her and her chuckle died off, leaving only the humming sound of computer equipment in the lab – her teammates, the guys, her friends… God, she missed them! It had only been a few days now but she had grown so used to seeing them every day and spending hours in their company, especially on off-world missions. If someone would have told her they – an alien, a discredited archeologist and a grumpy colonel – would become her best friends a couple of years ago Sam would have laughed in their faces. But now things were different and the work they did had created an unbreakable bond between them. In fact, they were the only people close to her with the exception of Janet Fraiser and her adopted alien daughter Cassandra. Well, there was her Dad and her brother Mark and the three of them had finally talked and made up a couple of weeks ago, but they weren't nearly as close as her team.

If anything, Daniel was closer to her than her own blood-related brother. Teal'c too, although he was more of an older brother perhaps. More distant and formal as well, but not any less caring. Now, Colonel O'Neill was a whole different story altogether, Sam thought to herself. She wasn't sure what he was to her, other than her commanding officer. There was a friendship between them, sure, albeit tempered by their working relationship and military ranks. But there was also the occasional banter with a flirty undertone, something she never really did with either Daniel or Teal'c – or had done with any other CO in the past!

She certainly didn't think of him as a brother and definitely not as a father figure! He was too young for that and didn't really act paternal either, sometimes quite the opposite actually and he would turn into a mischievous little boy in the body of forty-something old man! What it came down to was that Sam had no idea what to think of the Colonel; all she knew was that he was somewhat enigmatic, had a dark side and certainly a lot of baggage from his personal life as well as his past in black ops. He also preferred to play dumb but she found it quite easy to look through his act.

When she had first gotten the assignment to Cheyenne Mountain and learned she was going to be working with _the_ Colonel Jack O'Neill, she had been psyched and a bit nervous because she knew his reputation and quite a bit about his background; his record was far from exemplary with the occasional black mark and irreverence towards his superiors, but his accomplishments were impressive nonetheless. Sam had known she could learn a lot from him, especially once she had been assigned as his 2IC.

Now, three years later she still wasn't any closer to figuring him out. He liked to pretend he wasn't very complex but she had already learned there were different layers to him. She had to admit he intrigued her – and that he was easy on the eyes, very attractive as a matter of fact. Then again, she'd always had a thing for the lunatic fringe and a need to fix things and people… Sam remembered a conversation she'd had with Daniel in the beginning of the Program when her former fiancé, Jonas Hanson, had gone crazy off-world and SG-1 had been sent after him and his team; at the time she – and Daniel too – had seen a lot of similarities between Jonas and Colonel O'Neill, based on their military backgrounds and also their personalities. That's why she hadn't really been surprised to realize she found the Colonel attractive too, as he was also dark, driven, ruggedly handsome, and charismatic when he wanted to… and wounded.

Sam knew better now and while there were still some similarities between the two of them, she could say for certain that Colonel O'Neill was nothing like Jonas Hanson. The Colonel was a much better man and officer, who genuinely cared for those under his command and while sarcastic, he had a much better sense of humor and a softer side too, as evidenced by the risks he'd taken just a few days ago when Merrin had visited the SGC in their reality.

Sighing, she wished he was here; with his past in black ops he would surely know what to do until she could find a way back and he always knew when and how to lift her spirits or elicit a smile, often by making a sarcastic joke or fiddle with something in her lab to get her to take a break for a bit – or even make a seemingly uneducated remark that turned out to give her the inspiration she needed to find the answer. So far Sam hadn't seen anyone familiar around here, with the exception of Maybourne's name and it was upsetting to be all alone in such a strange and possibly dangerous environment after having come to rely on her team to have her back. Up until now she hadn't run into Maybourne in person yet and had no idea whether he was on the base as well, but considering her double's reports were sent to him he was probably around here somewhere, or would be soon. Logically she knew there was no way he would be able to tell she wasn't from this reality and was, in fact, an imposter but she still worried about it. How did her doppelganger interact with him?

She had no idea.

Then again, no one else had seemed suspicious of her behavior these past few days. Granted, Sam _was_ trying to keep her interaction with others to a minimum but from the hours of CCTV footage she'd watched of her counterpart it seemed that was the norm, too as the woman didn't appear to have any friends around here. To her surprise it hadn't taken that much adjustment to pretend to be her alternate, although the clothes seemed a bit loose on her frame and her feet were killing her at the end of a long day – she wasn't used to walking around in heels all day, no matter how low they were. One lab assistant had murmured something about her changed hairstyle though, so Sam had quickly blurted out that some of her hair had been damaged in the explosion and therefore she'd cut it off. That had appeared to satisfy the other woman, or maybe she'd been too startled by an actual response as it seemed Doctor Carter wasn't very social or one for small talk.

That also meant Sam had to try to tone it down before someone would really get suspicious as one doesn't normally become very talkative overnight.

Another thing she had slowly become to realize was that no one except the occasional lab assistant seemed to notice her. There were no waves, smiles or even small nods of acknowledgment when she passed others in the corridors or joined them in the elevator. Of course, considering her situation that was a good thing but it was so strange because of her experience at the SGC and even back at the Pentagon people would greet her. Here it was as if no one knew her or cared.

It was a bit jarring, she realized.

For as long as she could remember she had been trying to prove herself, even more so when she had entered the Air Force Academy and she usually ended up with people at least respecting her or her achievements, especially now that she was at the SGC and the 2IC of the flagship team that went off to explore alien worlds!

It bothered her that after working so hard to get her colleagues – military and scientists – to see her as an equal in spite of her gender or academic achievements and respect her abilities there was nothing to show for in this reality. Sam wasn't sure if it was because of the environment or her alternate's own doing, but if she were honest to herself it was a bit upsetting to say the least. To even be approached by the NID she would have to have been considered talented and skillful, let alone actually getting a job as one of their scientists on a classified off-world base with more than a dozen current projects.

Sam had also come across her counterpart's resume on her laptop and it confirmed their educations weren't all that different; Doctor Carter had two PhDs, one in astrophysics like herself and another in engineering, but she also had a master's degree in biochemistry. That was an area Sam herself had studied in as well but she had never obtained a postgraduate's degree in it, although she had done a stint in genetics at the Pentagon as well as an undergraduate course in psychology. If she had never joined the military Sam could easily imagine her life and career having taken a similar route; joining the Air Force provided her with a challenge, both mentally and physically but if she had never enrolled into the Academy then she would have needed to find a challenge elsewhere, most likely an academic one in the form of more degrees to keep her busy.

The only thing that did make her curious was what the so-called fork in the road had been; the point at which she decided to join the military, while Doctor Carter chose a different direction. Going to space via NASA had always been her dream as a kid but after the _Challenger_ disaster the Shuttle Program had been suspended and that had resulted in her redirecting her energies and setting her sights on the military, like her dad. In the case of the Shuttle Program reopening in the future she could apply as an Air Force nominee, or so she had imagined.

Now, she couldn't help but wonder if that was where her and her alternate's paths had split, or if it had a different reason entirely. Perhaps something to do with her upbringing or her parents… but for the life of her Sam couldn't come up with a reason for her to betray her country or her planet and its allies by allying herself with the NID and the likes of Harry Maybourne! Then again, she mused, there hadn't been any personal affects or pictures in the good Doctor's quarters either and nothing about her dad or Mark and his family on the laptop. Perhaps _she_ had been the one to turn against Dad and Mark? Who knows, in this reality her brother could actually be the one who'd joined the Air Force while Samantha was the one who hated the military and by extension her father and brother. Either way, this reality's Samantha Carter didn't appear to be close to her relatives or anyone really.

That could very well be her reason to join the NID, unless she was just a misguided soul who, like Maybourne, thought that _stealing_ technology from others – including Earth's allies – was all right as long as it benefited Earth and gave them the means to protect the planet against an attack by the Goa'uld. Not that such a mandate meant only defensive weaponry was taken, as certain alien items in this very lab had no defensive or offensive purposes at all. It didn't look like the NID actually only went for technology to defend themselves with and Sam doubted they would kindly return stolen artifacts that had proven useless for their fight against the Goa'uld to their rightful owners.

They were simply greedy. How could they not see that allies like the Nox, Tollans, Orbanians, Asgard and even the Tok'ra were more important than advanced technology? Sure, some of the technology could eventually be reverse-engineered and perhaps in time even mass produced but friendship and exchange of information, culture and knowledge were far more important to explore the galaxy and keep Earth and its inhabitants safe. One day there could be an attack on Earth against which even the NID couldn't defend but some of their allies could quite possibly help, if not against the attack then relocation or rebuilding.

Groaning, Sam tried to suppress those thoughts. It was of no use and would only upset her and aggravate her already existing headache, which was most likely the result of the explosion that brought her here. She had visited what was this base's equivalent of an infirmary a few days ago but the medical personnel had been curt and almost uncaring, only barely refraining from telling her she was wasting their precious time. Obviously the wellbeing of personnel wasn't as important here as she was used to from the SGC. Janet would have insisted on several tests and perhaps even an MRI or CT scan, just to make sure there wasn't any lasting damage but this doctor had more or less told her that the headache was obviously the result of the explosion because she had bumped her head and lost consciousness and that it would go away on its own, like the ringing in her ears.

The ringing had stopped but the headache was still present, and she had to admit that her restless nights and lack of sleep probably wasn't contributing to a healthy recovery. Ah well, it would be a good excuse to leave at a semi-decent hour today, she thought to herself. It was already later than she had expected and Sam hoped there would still be enough food left in the commissary, as she had learned there were only so many meals available and otherwise she would have to resort to stale sandwiches and some snacks if she was lucky.

She saved her work on the laptop – not that she had made much progress today – and shrugged off 'her' lab coat and took the laptop in her arms. On her way to her quarters she would pick up something to eat in the commissary if there was anything left and eat it in the privacy of 'her' living area. There were also some painkillers there, she knew. Hopefully one or two of those would help against her headache and then after dinner she could maybe take a quick shower and crawl into bed. Perhaps she could finally sleep through the night then.

Within minutes she had locked up her lab and made her way to her base quarters. A quick detour to the commissary had provided her with a tray containing a somewhat appetizing looking meal and something to drink but more importantly Sam had caught sight of Lieutenant Colonel Samuels and Colonel Maybourne – deep in conversation – exiting the elevator! The discovery of the two of them being in cahoots and actually being present on the base had been enough to make her feel queasy, so she had quickly bypassed them while looking at the ground and had been tempted to run the last few meters to her quarters. Of course, she had only quickened her pace, although her hand had been shaking somewhat when she swiped her security pass to unlock the door.

Now she was seated at the small table in her living area and pushed the food around on her plate, appetite gone. Once more Sam found herself wishing her team was here to help and support her, or even just Colonel O'Neill to guide her. He would know how to handle this, she thought. Not that she was incapable of handling it herself but she'd only taken command of a mission once when the Colonel had been shot by an arrow and now suddenly here she was; stranded in an alternate reality on an off-world NID base with no one she knew or could trust. It was like being thrown in the deep-end and as if the concept of her very first and very _unexpected_ solo mission wasn't bad enough it was also a sort of undercover mission! She had to take over the life of her alternate while simultaneously finding a way home, all without anyone finding out who she really was and how she had gotten here!

Sighing, Sam gave up on her food and pushed the tray away. She pulled the curtain aside to enter her bedroom and get some clothes and a towel ready for her shower. Fortunately, she had found a black button-up shirt with long sleeves in one of the drawers of her dresser and in lieu of actual pajamas had used it and a pair of panties to sleep in. Her own clothes – the BDUs she had arrived in – boots and dog tags had been hidden away under the bed and even though she didn't really think someone would search her room or anything, she _was_ trying to be as careful as possible by hiding all the clues to her true identity and therefore she didn't want to risk sleeping in her own shirt. The black shirt she'd found was actually quite similar and probably a standard issued shirt her counterpart had snatched from somewhere for some reason, it just had buttons and was a size or two too large but it was still comfortable – and definitely preferable over sleeping naked in such strange and possibly hostile surroundings!

With a yawn she went back into the living area to get the painkillers and then she walked back to the bathroom and started undressing after turning on the shower.

* * *

It had been a couple of hours since she had gone to bed when Sam thought she heard something… A noise, in her quarters. She cracked her eyes open, blinking rapidly in the darkened room where the only source of light came from the bathroom, whose door was cracked open slightly. Not that she was afraid of the dark but these surroundings were still unfamiliar to her and with the sleeping area being so cramped she preferred to have a bit of light to guide her when she had to get up, as there were no windows in her quarters.

There it was again! Her heart was racing as she pricked up her ears, trying to discern what kind of sounds she was hearing. It was coming from the living area, she realized. Sam was silently berating herself for lying facing the wall rather than the other way around or, even better, on the other side of the bed so she could slip out more easily. A weapon would have been nice too…

She gasped when the swishing sound came closer and she recognized the rustling of clothes. Now she was certain there was _someone_ in her room and her mind was going light-years a minute trying to imagine who it could possibly be; had she somehow screwed up and they had realized she wasn't this reality's Samantha Carter? What would the NID – Maybourne – do with her?

As the person came closer they halted and after a second she realized they were standing near the curtain separating the living area from the bedroom. Sam had to force herself to keep her breathing even in spite of her racing heart and as she lay there in the dark, as still as possible, she could hear some more rustling. Focusing on the sounds she closed her eyes and picked up on their soft breathing. Her eyes snapped open when she came to the conclusion there was only one intruder. If Maybourne or Samuels knew she was an imposter they certainly would have had backup, right?

Sam's heart started hammering in her chest when her mind conjured up other reasons why someone would be sneaking into her quarters late at night and she swallowed hard. Her hands clenched into fists and she reminded herself that even though she was in a strange alternate reality she was still herself! She was trained in hand-to-hand combat – level three advanced! – and she didn't need her team to defend herself against one intruder!

Feeling a bit more confident she cautiously shifted into a better position to catch her assailant unawares and held her breath for a moment, hoping they hadn't heard anything. There was a soft thud followed by a short and almost inaudible huff, and then a few seconds later she heard a light footfall moving to the other side of the room. Just as Sam was debating whether to roll over or keep up the pretense of being asleep the footfall stopped abruptly. She pictured her quarter's layout in her mind and figured the intruder was standing in front of the door connecting the living area with the bathroom, probably noticing the bathroom light was on…

Suddenly all kinds of thoughts were going through her head but the one that stood out was whether or not she had made a mistake by keeping the light on at night. Her counterpart probably slept in total darkness as she was used to the room's interior – perhaps even responsible for it – and what if this intruder was aware of that fact? Was that why Doctor Carter seemed to keep to herself and worked such long hours? Was someone abusing the shy and probably timid doctor? The thought alone made Sam feel sick and a flare of anger made her clench her fists further, causing her nails to press into her palms.

She may not have been feeling too friendly towards her doppelganger but if the intruder had been the reason she'd fled through the mirror Sam could understand her behavior, to a degree. She heard a soft sigh and imagined the man shifting on his feet, most likely debating how to sneak into her bedroom; going via the bathroom would cause him to block the light and possibly alert her to his presence – not to mention the creaking sound of the doors – but shoving the curtain aside wasn't going to be soundless either.

The sound of fabric being grabbed sounded almost ominously in the otherwise silent room and Sam worried for a moment that the intruder might hear her heavy breathing or her racing heart, before she silently chastised herself for her silly thoughts. She was a field officer and had been trained by one of the best black ops officers for the past three years and therefore knew how not to give away her position and play dead, with her body almost going on auto pilot – how often had she been lying low to hide from passing Jaffa? – even if her breathing and the rush of blood sounded loud in her head.

The man pushed the curtain aside, almost gently, and stepped inside her sleeping area, the brushing of his body against the fabric and his bare foot landing on the linoleum giving away his movement. Sam fought the instinctive tensing of her body as she heard his soft breathing coming closer and fleetingly realized the earlier thud had been his shoes – or boots – being put away. When the intruder stopped in front of the bed she almost drew blood from her palms, waiting for the right moment to roll over and take him by surprise; he wouldn't know what hit him, expecting the docile Doctor instead of her alternate, who happened to be a recently promoted Air Force major!

She felt his presence – not in a tingly naquadah way – as he leaned closer, probably trying to grasp the comforter in which she'd partially rolled up as she'd been dozing. The mattress dipped under his weight and a rush of cool air hit Sam's legs when he tugged on the comforter and pulled his end up and away from her to slide underneath it. He exhaled louder this time as if he was smiling and she had to clench her jaw at the thought. Just a little longer, she told herself; if she acted too fast he might not be close enough and he'd get the upper hand instead, so she started to count down in her head as she felt him – the heat of his body – inch closer…


End file.
